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Funk with the bass not on The One

#41
Here's one of my favorites from back in the day.
Cold Blood's "Baby , I Love You". It's on the one, except when it isn't... because it's not straight 4/4 like most funk.
:D

Cold Blood was a contemporary of TOP but never hit it as big. Rod Ellicott on bass, Lydia Pense on vocals.The drummer, Gaylord Birch played with Larry Graham (Graham Central Station).
 
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#48
The job description of a bassist always seems to include being responsible for establishing where the 1 (time wise) and the 1 (tonic wise) are.

However, it doesn't say anywhere that you have to always play the 1 or the 1. If everyone is clear where they are, you've done that part of your job.
 
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#49
JimmyM said:
So much gets said about funk being all about hitting a big hit on the one, that it makes me think about funk songs that aren't on the one just to be contrary. A couple spring to mind...

Sister Sledge, "We Are Family" --- while some call it more of a disco tune, Bernard Edwards of Chic was certainly a funk badass, and this classic bass line has a funky chorus where he never hits the one.

War, "The World Is A Ghetto" --- So it's a ballad, but it's a funk ballad, and the chorus has the bass off the one most of the time.

And they are all I can think of. Every other funk song I can think of has a strong one hit on at least every other bar, and most do it on all bars.

This is where you come in...anyone have ideas for other tunes that qualify?
Click to expand...

This is definitely a cool topic @JimmyM.
I've often thought about this in passing, as I play quite a bit of this kind of music. I feel like "the one" is the foundation stone and gateway to the funk, but I think that it's only the beginning. Some of the funkiest bass lines you'll ever hear do not have the first note of their phrase land right on the one. An example that comes to mind is the bassline on the intro and second verse of Strawberry Letter 23" by the Brothers Johnson with the notes being played just behind and ahead of the beat respectively.

 
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#55
Brad Johnson said:
Here's one of my favorites from back in the day.
Cold Blood's "Baby , I Love You". It's on the one, except when it isn't... because it's not straight 4/4 like most funk.
:D

Cold Blood was a contemporary of TOP but never hit it as big. Rod Ellicott on bass, Lydia Pense on vocals.The drummer, Gaylord Birch played with Larry Graham (Graham Central Station).
Click to expand...

That's one of those really great under the radar albums, killer record top to bottom. We were fortunate enough to warm up for Lydia and the new version of Cold Blood, they still sound great.
 
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#56
Brad Johnson said:
Here's one of my favorites from back in the day.
Cold Blood's "Baby , I Love You". It's on the one, except when it isn't... because it's not straight 4/4 like most funk.
:D

Cold Blood was a contemporary of TOP but never hit it as big. Rod Ellicott on bass, Lydia Pense on vocals.The drummer, Gaylord Birch played with Larry Graham (Graham Central Station).
Click to expand...

Was lucky to to play in a band with a drummer, Chris Sandoval, who's 'other gig' for years was Cold Blood - guy was a freight train of funk - admittedly a later line up but killer still the same. Terrific band.
 
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